Wayne Rooney comparison sparks extraordinary Michael Owen rant as ex-Liverpool & Real Madrid striker defends his record
Football debates are nothing new. From pubs to podcasts, from WhatsApp groups to TV studios, fans and pundits argue endlessly about who was better, who should have scored more, or who deserves the most recognition. But every now and then, one of the players themselves steps into the arena—and that’s when things get really interesting.
This week, a social media post from BBC’s Match of the Day provoked one of the most passionate responses you’ll hear from a former player. The subject? A comparison between Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney at the age of 17. The result? An extraordinary rant from Owen, the ex-Liverpool and Real Madrid striker, who felt compelled to remind everyone of his dazzling teenage years.
Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney: Two teenage sensations who lit up the Premier League
To understand why this debate touched such a nerve, you have to go back to where it all began. Both Owen and Rooney were football prodigies who made waves before they were even old enough to order a pint in a pub.
Owen burst onto the Premier League stage in May 1997. Just 17 years old, the wiry Liverpool forward was given his league debut against Wimbledon. True to form, he scored. It was the first glimpse of the searing pace and ruthless finishing that would make him one of the deadliest strikers in England. By the end of the following season, he had 18 league goals and a Golden Boot in his back pocket.
Rooney’s arrival, meanwhile, came a few years later but was no less dramatic. He made his debut for Everton in August 2002 as a 16-year-old, already built like a bulldozer and brimming with raw aggression. Two months later, he scored his first league goal—a thunderbolt against Arsenal that announced him as a generational talent. By 17, he was not just a prospect; he was a star.
For fans, comparing the two was inevitable. Both were teenagers carrying the weight of expectation for club and country. Both were seen as once-in-a-lifetime players. But for Owen, the numbers matter—and he wasn’t shy about pointing them out.
Michael Owen’s extraordinary rant: “At 17, please…”
When Match of the Day asked fans on X (formerly Twitter) who was better at 17—Owen or Rooney—Michael Owen himself jumped into the comments. And what followed was nothing short of remarkable.
“At 17 I scored 18 PL goals (winning the Golden Boot), Wazza scored 6,” Owen wrote, immediately setting the record straight.
He continued: “At 18 I again scored 18 goals (again winning the Golden Boot and coming 4th in the Ballon d’Or), Wazza scored 9. In our opening 7 seasons, Wazza didn’t outscore me once (117 goals v 80). In which time I became the 2nd youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever.”
Owen then conceded what most observers would agree with: Rooney had the longevity. “Injuries hindered me from then on while he sustained his level. Therefore, he’ll go down as a better player than me. But, at 17, please…”
It was classic Owen: blunt, numbers-driven, and slightly defensive, but also deeply honest. It’s not often ex-players wade into fan debates with such detail, but for Owen, this was personal.
Rooney’s teenage years: Numbers versus impact
To be fair, Owen’s argument holds water on a statistical level. His teenage goal-scoring record was phenomenal. Two Golden Boots before turning 20, a Ballon d’Or podium finish, and a reputation as one of the most feared forwards in world football.
But football isn’t always just about numbers. Rooney’s teenage years were marked by moments that went beyond statistics. His goal against Arsenal remains one of the most iconic in Premier League history, not just for the strike itself but for the message it sent: here was a 16-year-old who wasn’t afraid of the big stage.
By 18, Rooney had carried England at Euro 2004 until injury cruelly ended his tournament. Many still believe that if he had stayed fit, England might have gone all the way. His teenage years weren’t defined by Golden Boots, but by an aura—a sense that this was a player who could bend the game to his will.
England records and the rivalry within
The Owen-Rooney comparison doesn’t stop at club level. Both became record-breakers for England as teenagers.
Owen first set the standard by scoring for England against Romania in June 1998 at the age of 18 years and 190 days. It was a goal that made him England’s youngest scorer at the time.
Five years later, Rooney broke that record, netting against Macedonia in 2003 at just 17 years and 317 days. For a brief period, England had not one but two teenage forwards rewriting history books and carrying the hopes of a nation.
Their paths would eventually intertwine in the national team, with Owen fading due to injury and Rooney taking up the mantle as England’s talisman. The baton was passed, but the debate about who had the brighter teenage years has lingered ever since.
Liverpool, Real Madrid, and the “what if” question
Another layer to this debate comes from Owen’s career trajectory. After his electric start at Liverpool, he made a high-profile move to Real Madrid in 2004. His single season at the Bernabéu was productive, with 16 goals in all competitions, but it never quite cemented him as a Galáctico.
Injuries plagued the latter half of his career, robbing him of the chance to sustain the brilliance of his teenage years. That, as Owen himself admits, is why Rooney will be remembered as the more complete and enduring player.
Rooney, on the other hand, flourished at Manchester United, winning five Premier League titles, a Champions League, and becoming the club’s all-time leading scorer. His longevity and consistency put him on a pedestal Owen could never quite reach.
But here’s the twist: if Owen had stayed fit, if his body had held up the way Rooney’s did, would the debate look different today?
The debate that will never die
In the end, Owen’s rant doesn’t settle anything—it simply reignites a debate that fans will argue about forever. Was Owen better at 17? The numbers suggest yes. Was Rooney the greater player overall? Almost everyone would agree.
What makes this debate so fascinating is that both statements can be true. Owen’s teenage record was extraordinary, but Rooney’s career defined an era. One was a comet that burned brightly but briefly; the other, a relentless force who sustained greatness for more than a decade.
And perhaps that’s the beauty of football. There’s room for both stories, both legends, and both teenage prodigies who gave fans memories that will never fade.
What comes next
As for the present, England continue their march toward World Cup qualification, with a game against Andorra at Wembley looming. Meanwhile, Owen’s former clubs Liverpool and Real Madrid prepare to meet in the Champions League—a fitting reminder of just how intertwined his career was with football’s greatest stages.
But one thing is certain: the debate about Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney at 17 isn’t going away. And thanks to Owen’s extraordinary rant, it’s once again front and centre in the football conversation.
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